Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator having a door for opening and closing a storage chamber. The door includes an outer case forming an outer front surface of the door, an inner case connected with an inner surface of the outer case, at least one support portion protruded from an inner surface of the inner case; a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case; and at least one compartment member installed in the at least one support portion to prevent the deformation of the door by the foam insulating material in such a manner that an inside of the at least one support portion is divided into a plurality of regions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0127895, filed Dec. 22, 2005, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, to a refrigerator, which prevents a door from being deformed.

2. Description of the Related Art

Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2005-0095236 discloses a method of preventing the deformation of a door of a conventional refrigerator due to shrinkage of a foam insulating material when the insulating material fills the inside of the door.

The door of the conventional refrigerator includes an outer case forming the outer surface of the door, an inner case forming the inner surface of the door, and a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case. The door further includes contact members tightly adhered to sides of the door for preventing the deformation of the door due to shrinkage of the foam insulating material generated from a solidification process of the foam insulating material, and support bars made of a metal and buried in the door for supporting the both contact members. The support bars, which are buried in the door, support the contact members tightly adhered to both sides of the door, thereby preventing the deformation of the door.

The contact members are tightly adhered to both sides of the door and the support bars are installed in the door in order to prevent the deformation of the door, the above door has disadvantages, such as a complicated configuration, a complex manufacturing process, and high production costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator, in which the configuration of a door is simplified so as to reduce production costs and prevent the deformation of the door.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a refrigerator having a door for opening and closing a storage chamber, the door including an outer case forming an outer front surface of the door, an inner case connected with an inner surface of the outer case, at least support portion protruded from an inner surface of the inner case, and a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case, and at least one compartment member installed in the at least one support portion to prevent the deformation of the door by the foam insulating material in such a manner that an inside of the at least one support portion is divided into a plurality of regions.

The at least one support portion is formed at one of both sides of the inner case, and is extended in a vertical direction.

The at least one compartment member is installed in a vertical central portion of the at least one support portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of compartment members separated from each other are installed in the at least one support portion.

The at least one compartment member includes a cross section coinciding with that of the at least one support portion.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator having a door for opening and closing a storage chamber, the door including an outer case forming an outer front surface of the door, an inner case connected with an inner surface of the outer case, and a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case, wherein the outer case includes a circumferential portion bent and extended from a circumference thereof towards the inner case, a connecting portion bent from the circumferential portion towards the inner case so as to be connected to the inner case, and a reinforcing portion bent and extended from the connecting portion towards the space between the inner case and the outer case so as to reinforce the door.

The connecting portion and the reinforcing portion are formed integrally with the outer case, and are continuously formed along the circumferential portion.

The door further includes at least one support portion protruded from the inner surface of the inner case for support door racks installed on the inner surface of the door, and at least one compartment member installed in the at least one support portion to prevent the deformation of the door by the foam insulating material in such a manner that an inside of the at least one support portion is divided into a plurality of regions.

The at least one support portion is formed at one of both sides of the inner case and is extended in a vertical direction.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator having a door opening and closing a storage chamber, the door including an outer case forming an outer front surface of the door, an inner case connected with the inner surface of the outer case, a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case, support portions protruded from the inner surface of the inner case for support door racks installed on the inner surface of the door, and compartment members installed in the support portions for dividing the insides of the support portions into a plurality of regions so as to prevent the deformation of the door, wherein the outer case includes a circumferential portion bent and extended from a circumference thereof, towards the inner case, a connecting portion bent from the circumferential portion towards the inner case so as to be connected to the inner case, and a reinforcing portion bent and extended from the connecting portion towards the space between the inner case and the outer case so as to reinforce the door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 2, illustrating a support portion of the door; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a support portion of a door of the refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

In FIG. 1, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body 10 having a storage chamber 11 formed therein, and a door 20 for opening and closing the opened front surface of the storage chamber 11. A plurality of racks 13 for mounting goods to be stored are installed in the storage chamber 11 in the main body 10, and a plurality of door racks 14 are formed on the inner surface of the door 20.

In FIG. 2, the door 20 comprises an outer case 21 forming an outer front surface of the door 20, and an inner case 25 separated from the inner surface of the outer case 21, and a foam insulating material 26 filling a space between the outer case 21 and the inner case 25.

The outer case 21 is obtained by cutting and bending an iron sheet. The outer case 21 comprises a circumferential portion 22 which is bent and extended from a circumference of the outer case 21 towards the inner case 25, and a reinforcing portion 24, bent and extended from the circumferential portion 22 towards a space between the inner case 25 and the outer case 21 for reinforcing the door 20 so as to prevent the deformation of the door 20. The reinforcing portion 24 is longitudinally extended along the circumferential portion 22 so that the reinforcing portion 24 can reinforce the circumference of the door 20.

The circumferential portion 22 comprises a designated width for determining the thickness of the door 20, thus forming both side surfaces, an upper surface, and a lower surface of the door 20. Further, the circumferential portion 22 comprises a connecting portion 23 bent towards the inner case 25 so that the connecting portion 23 can be connected with an edge of the inner case 25. The reinforcing portion 24 is bent and extended from the end of the connecting portion 23 towards the front portion of the inside of the door 20. The reinforcing portion 24 reinforces the rigidity of the circumference of the door 20, thereby preventing the door 20 from being warped or deformed when the foam insulating material 26 filling the space between the outer case 21 and the inner case 25 shrinks.

The inner case 25 is formed by molding a resin material having a flat plate shape. The inner case 25 comprises support portions 27 protruded from sides of the inner case 25 towards the storage chamber 11 and vertically extended so that the support portions 27 can support the door racks 14 installed on the inner surface of the inner case 25. The foam insulating material 26 fills the insides of the support portions 27.

When the foam insulating material 26 filling the space between the outer case 21 and the inner case 25 of the door 20 is solidified, a small amount of the foam insulating material 26 shrinks. Compartment members 28 for preventing the deformation of the door 20 even when the foam insulating material 26 shrinks, as described above, are respectively installed in the support portions 27.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, instead of the foam insulating material 26, each of the compartment members 28 is installed in a vertical central portion of the corresponding support portion 27 thereby dividing an inside of the corresponding support portion 27 into an upper region 29 a and a lower region 29 b. That is, since the compartment members 28, which are installed in the support portions 27, partially occupy insides of the support portions 27, the regions of the insides of the support portions, which are occupied by the compartment members 28, are not filled with the foam insulating material 26. The compartment members 28 are molds, cross sections of which coincide with the cross sections of the support portions 27 so that the compartment members 28 can be inserted into the support portions 27. The compartment members 28 are made of resin or styrene foam, for example. However, the compartment members 28 are not limited to any particular type of material, and may vary as necessary.

The compartment members 28, which are installed in vertical central portions of the support portions 27, as shown in FIG. 3, cut off the insulating material 26 filling the upper portions 29 a of the support portions 27 and the insulating material 26 filling the lower portions 29 b of the support portions 27 from each other when the foam insulating material 26 shrinks in the vertical direction during the solidification process of the foam insulating material 26 filling the support portions 27, thereby preventing warp age of the door 20.

If the compartment members 28 are not installed in the support portions 27, and the support portions 27 are installed only on the inner surface of the door 20 and filled with the insulating material 26, the shrinkage force of the inner portion of the door 20 is larger than that of the outer portion of the door 20 during the solidification process of the insulating material 26, thus, causing the deformation of the door 20. That is, since the insulating material 26 filling the insides of the support portions 27 shrinks, the door 20 is warped in a bow shape.

On the other hand, in the present invention, since the compartment members 28 installed in the support portions 27 divide the insides of the corresponding support portions 27 into the upper regions 29 a and the lower regions 29 b, the insulating material 26 filling the upper portions 29 a of the support portions 27 and the insulating material 26 filling the lower portions 29 b of the support portions 27 are cut off from each other, thereby preventing warpage of the door 20. That is, even when the insulating material 26 filling the insides of the support portions 27 shrinks, the compartment members 28 prevent the shrinkage of the insulating material 26 in the support portions 27 from continuing, thus causing the shrinkage of the insulating material 26 in the support portions 27 not to influence the warpage of the door 20.

FIG. 4 illustrates a door of the refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of compartment members 31 and 32, which are separated from each other, are installed in each of the support portions 27. The compartment members 31 and 32 cut off the insulating member 26 filling a plurality of regions of each of the support portions 27 from each other, thereby more reducing the influence of the shrinkage of the insulating material 26 on the warpage of the door 20 and thus preventing the deformation of the door 20.

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a refrigerator, in which reinforcing portions formed at both sides of an outer case reinforce the rigidity of a door, and compartment members buried in support portions of the door cut off the connection of a foam insulating material so as to minimize the influence of the shrinkage of the insulating material on the door, thereby simplifying the structure of the door, reducing production costs of the door, and preventing the deformation of the door.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

1. A refrigerator having a door for opening and closing a storage chamber, the door comprising: an outer case forming an outer front surface of the door; an inner case connected with an inner surface of the outer case; at least one support portion protruded from the inner case; a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case; and at least one compartment member installed in the at least one support portion, to prevent the deformation of the door by the foam insulating material in such a manner that an inside of the at least one support portion is divided into a plurality of regions.
 2. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one support portion is formed at one of both sides of the inner case, and is extended in a vertical direction.
 3. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 2, wherein the at least one compartment member is installed in a vertical central portion of the at least one support portion.
 4. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 2, wherein a plurality of compartment members separated from each other are installed in the at least one support portion.
 5. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one compartment member has a cross section coinciding with that of the at least one support portion.
 6. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one support portion is filled with the foam insulating material except for the at least one compartment member.
 7. A refrigerator having a door for opening and closing a storage chamber, the door comprising: an outer case forming an outer front surface of the door; an inner case connected with an inner surface of the outer case; and a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case, wherein the outer case comprises a circumferential portion which is bent and extended from a circumference thereof towards the inner case, a connecting portion bent from the circumferential portion towards the inner case so as to be connected with the inner case, and a reinforcing portion bent and extended from the connecting portion towards a space between the inner case and the outer case, to reinforce the door.
 8. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 7, wherein the connecting portion and the reinforcing portion are formed integrally with the outer case, and are continuously formed along the circumferential portion.
 9. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 7, wherein the door further comprising: at least one support portion protruded from an inner surface of the inner case to support door racks installed on the inner surface of the door; and at least one compartment member installed in the at least one support portion to prevent the deformation of the door by the foam insulating material in such a manner that an inside of the at least one support portion is divided into a plurality of regions.
 10. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 9, wherein the at least one support portion is formed at one of both sides of the inner case, and is extended in a vertical direction.
 11. A refrigerator having a door opening and closing a storage chamber, the door comprising: an outer case forming an outer front surface of the door; an inner case connected with an inner surface of the outer case; a foam insulating material filling a space between the outer case and the inner case; at least one support portion protruded from an inner surface of the inner case for support door racks installed on the inner surface of the door; and at least one compartment member installed in the at least one support portion to prevent the deformation of the door by the foam insulating material in such a manner that an inside of the at least one support portion is divided into a plurality of regions, wherein the outer case comprises a circumferential portion bent and extended from a circumference thereof towards the inner case, a connecting portion bent from the circumferential portion towards the inner case so as to be connected to the inner case, and a reinforcing portion bent and extended from the connecting portion towards the space between the inner case and the outer case, to reinforce the door.
 12. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one support portion is filled with the foam insulating material and the at least one compartment member is a mold inserted into the at least one support portion.
 13. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 9, wherein the at least one support portion is filled with the foam insulating material and the at least one compartment member is a mold inserted into the at least one support portion.
 14. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 11, wherein the at least one support portion is filled with the foam insulating material and the at least one compartment member is a mold inserted into the at least one support portion. 